Why intentionally damage a knife???

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Maximumbob54

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Just saw a post where someone said something about handing someone a knife and the guy instantly held the blade in a torch which of course is ruining the blade. Back when I was in deck division and we were making up lines I handed someone my Gerber Gator because I thought he was cutting a piece of line. No, he was heating the blade with a lighter and melting the ends of the nylon. I was given back a melted nylon encrusted mess that the blade was heated enough it even ruined the action on the plastic handle. I've seen knives used to pry anything and everything open, apart, whatever which has broken tips, snapped blades off, and wrecked pivots. And it was hardly a week ago someone damaged both blades on my SAK I've had for nearly forty years by using it as a screw driver.

My point is, what is it about a knife that makes people so willing to absolutely risk ruining one??? Or even better to do so to someone else's property???????

And this isn't a knock on the "use your stuff" crowd, this is the what seems like intentional misuse that leads to all the damaged or broken knives we've all seen over the years. I cannot think of another tool that people are so quickly willing to misuse/abuse that will so quickly render the tool a shadow of what it was just minutes ago. The closest I can think of is maybe all the flathead drivers used as a prybar.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT PEOPLE DAMAGING KNIVES WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD???????

***rant over***
 
Some people just weren't raised to respect tools. Some folks are low information type of people and just don't know any better.

Lots of people see knives as disposable or no more worthy of care than a hammer or wrench.

I am firm in my belief that the way one treats a cutting implement - whether that be a kitchen knife, pocket knife, scissors, chisel, anything - is a direct measure of their intelligence. This has been a universal truth in my life experience.
 
Maximumbob54 said:
Just saw a post where someone said something about handing someone a knife and the guy instantly held the blade in a torch which of course is ruining the blade. Back when I was in deck division and we were making up lines I handed someone my Gerber Gator because I thought he was cutting a piece of line. No, he was heating the blade with a lighter and melting the ends of the nylon. I was given back a melted nylon encrusted mess that the blade was heated enough it even ruined the action on the plastic handle. I've seen knives used to pry anything and everything open, apart, whatever which has broken tips, snapped blades off, and wrecked pivots. And it was hardly a week ago someone damaged both blades on my SAK I've had for nearly forty years by using it as a screw driver.

My point is, what is it about a knife that makes people so willing to absolutely risk ruining one??? Or even better to do so to someone else's property???????

And this isn't a knock on the "use your stuff" crowd, this is the what seems like intentional misuse that leads to all the damaged or broken knives we've all seen over the years. I cannot think of another tool that people are so quickly willing to misuse/abuse that will so quickly render the tool a shadow of what it was just minutes ago. The closest I can think of is maybe all the flathead drivers used as a prybar.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT PEOPLE DAMAGING KNIVES WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD???????

***rant over***
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I heard an old joke in the Navy that I think sums things up.

An electronics tech. (tron) goes to the tool room. He asks to check out a wrench.
The guy in the tool room says, “Sure, what size wrench?”
The tron says, “Better make it a big one, I’m going to use it as a hammer.”🤷‍♂️
Edit: sorry trons, no offense ment…but…well, you know😏
 
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Because they don't know any better. They think it's high end and its metal, so it must be indestructible. The only thing they imagine would make a knife expensive, is that it's bulletproof.

Here's one. When I got my first Rockstead. First day, first ten minutes of the day. I hadn't cut anything with that polished dlc blade.

I had been telling a guy I've known for 30 years all about how special it was for a week before receiving. He walks out holding a case of water. I show him the knife, and say "slice a bit of the plastic wrap around the bottles see how it cuts."

I'm thinking, slide it in the taught plastic and slice for two or three inches. No joke, he takes it and starts violently slashing and the stabbing bottles.

Too shocked to punch a 67 year old dude in the face. I just stood there, paralyzed with my mouth hanging open. Then came, the verbal assault/lashing of his life. Hot as a blade in a forge.

Knife didn't show a trace, but never again will he touch one of mine. lol
 
Still kind of boiling over thinking about this. I've seen over the years old Colts and such where the handle was clearly used to hammer in nails probably a hundred plus years ago. At first thought you might think it makes sense. You're on your horse out mending the fence and you don't have a hammer handy.... I guess guns were dirt cheap because I'm going to go walk around for a minute and find a good rock before I risk a presumably somewhat expensive firearm with all the little surface contacting areas that were hand fitted before I use my gun as a hammer. So it's not like rocks for brains is a new thing.
 
I've seen this behavior in enough other areas of life (cars, motorcycles¹, pens², knives³) that I have always refused to let anyone ride my horses unless they are one of my students or I'm giving them a ride on a lead line. I won't subject my animals to anyone bouncing on their backs or pulling on their mouths. People will ask if they can come ride my horses and my answer is always, "I'd be happy to take you on as a student," even when I know they've been riding all their lives. I get some shocked looks but no one abuses my animals.

1. Son of a close family friend was a highly experienced MX competitor. Asks to take my '76 BMW R75/6 for a spin. He proceeds to rev it, spin the rear end in an uncontrolled donut, and lay it down in my driveway. "Wow, doesn't handle like my bikes!"

2. Took me some time to understand how folks think a fountain pen is like a Sharpie. Fortunately it was only a couple of Pilot Varsity pens that had their nibs bent (one nearly 90°).

3. Relative wanted a knife for self protection in a dodgy area and borrowed my (admittedly rough-looking but still needle-sharp) mid-'80s Gerber Mk 1. A year later I find it in his sock drawer with the tip broken from use as a screwdriver.
 
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The Zieg said:
I have always refused to let anyone ride my horses unless they are one of my students or I'm giving them a ride on a lead line. I won't subject my animals to anyone bouncing on their backs or pulling on their mouths. People will ask if they can come ride my horses and my answer is always, "I'd be happy to take you on as a student," even when I know they've been riding all their lives. I get some shocked looks but no one abuses my animals.
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I grew up around horses and have to admit I saw some pretty shocking treatment of large animals that if they really felt like it could stomp you into the mud. There's a really fine line I never wanted to cross with trying to make sure they know you're in charge and not abusing them. It always helped me to think of them as huge dogs that if you hurt them they will never forget and if they do forgive you then you will still never have that level of trust ever again.
 
Those guys both taught you about sharpening and set you on your path to knifemaking.
navman said:
Is why I don't loan my blade anymore, Boats. I loaned my knife to a teammate in Iraq, and he proceeded to use the EDGE to strike a fire flint....like, dude WTF! Use the spine.
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navman said:
I also recall loaning a Spyderco to a dude on the ship, came back with a broken tip, paint on the handle and a torn to sh-- edge.
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I quit loaning out my knives other than to trusted, approved people after a scout leader destroyed the edge on my CRKT M-16 at someone else's eagle scout project (I was 16, so it was a good knife for me at the time). We were stripping/repainting lines in a parking lot at a group foster home and one of the dads asked to borrow my knife knowing that mine would be sharp. He used it to cut tape when laying out new parking lines and decided scraping the edge against the concrete for dozens of yards was a good method. I darn near bit through my tongue when I realized what he had done. Never again.
 
scorpnsnake said:
I'm thinking, slide it in the taught plastic and slice for two or three inches. No joke, he takes it and starts violently slashing and the stabbing bottles.
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Trying to imagine how slashing and stabbing plastic water bottles would damage a knife.

Make a big mess, yep. Make a wound if you slipped and stuck it in a body part, yep. Damage the knife, how would that happen?

A verbal assault/lashing from me would probably consist of “Well, that was kinda dumbass” in a calm voice, and then we start addressing the damage. To each their own, I guess.

Parker
 
oldmanwilly said:
He used it to cut tape when laying out new parking lines and decided scraping the edge against the concrete for dozens of yards was a good method.
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This is the kind of nonsense I'm talking about. I don't get it. If it was a replaceable blade box cutter that's one thing. But to borrow someone else's knife and proceed to destroy it. I just don't get what the casual attitude is with destroying someone's property.

I used to tell people if they borrowed something then just treat it like it was their own thinking they would know to take care of it. NO. BIG NO.
 
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